I need HELP!!!: Evaporitive/Swamp cooler

Print Page | Close Window

Evaporitive/Swamp cooler

Printed From: R-pod Owners Forum
Category: R-pod Discussion Forums
Forum Name: I need HELP!!!
Forum Discription: Perplexed/need help with a problem - ask here
URL: http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=14626
Printed Date: 18 May 2024 at 4:42am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 9.64 - http://www.webwizforums.com

Topic: Evaporitive/Swamp cooler

Posted By: pedwards2932
Subject: Evaporitive/Swamp cooler
Date Posted: 11 May 2021 at 9:20am

Anyone try one of these: https://www.amazon.com/Hessaire-Products-MC18M-Mobile-Evaporative/dp/B078HFGJ3T/ref=sr_1_3?_encoding=UTF8&c=ts&dchild=1&keywords=Evaporative+Coolers&qid=1620742387&s=home-garden&sr=1-3&ts_id=14554129011 - Amazon.com: Hessaire MC18M Portable Evaporative Cooler – Gray, 1300 CFM, Cools 500 Square Feet: Home & Kitchen

It looks like it draws about 85 watts (edit). We have a real small version that will cool you if you are directly in front of it. Just wondering if this would help any when boondocking?

Replies:

Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 11 May 2021 at 9:26am

Not if you live in the East where it's humid. Swamp coolers are ineffective when the dew point exceeds around 55. Which is why you don't see them on houses outside the desert areas. I had one when I lived in Phoenix and it didn't even work there in July/Aug when the humidity goes up.

-------------
1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold

Posted By: pedwards2932
Date Posted: 11 May 2021 at 9:45am

Kinda what I figured.....I think cracking the windows open and running the fan will work if the outside temps are reasonable. We have a couple of stays on our way to Maine in June that will be unhooked. I think the overnight temperatures should be low enough. My wife doesn't handle heat well.......we may end up in motels if it gets hot.

Posted By: podwerkz
Date Posted: 11 May 2021 at 10:05am

EIGHTY FIVE AMPS??

Whew....I looked....85 WATTS....huge difference!

Sometimes when boondocking, clean water to fill these things is as precious as the electricity to run them.

-------------
r･pod 171 gone but not forgotten!

Posted By: pedwards2932
Date Posted: 11 May 2021 at 10:14am

Sorry yes it was watts. Our boondocking is more staying at Harvest hosts or Walmart so we can probably find water okay but if it doesn't work it may not be worth the effort.

Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 11 May 2021 at 11:08am

If it was dry enough to work (which it won't be where we live) it would use roughly a gallon of water an hour to cool the trailer equivalent to a 9000 btu/hr a/c. You could go through your whole fresh water tank in a day.

You should be fine in Maine in June. You can get a couple of 12v fans to direct where you are sitting or sleeping. That's what I do. You need a 12v power port, a 12v wye, and extension cable or two. Here's what I use:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003SS62PS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_6SFMYK8YJW6891KNZ1MM - fan

If you get unlucky and run into really hot weather find a campground with ac hookups and run the jet turbine mounted on your roof.

-------------
1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold

Posted By: pedwards2932
Date Posted: 11 May 2021 at 11:34am

We would only be using it for our overnight rest stays so max use would be about 8 hours we have electric hookup for the rest of the stay. This is all East coast travel so humidity would probably be high enough so it wouldn't work. Some of these units come with freeze containers I guess to add to the cool but I'm sure that wouldn't last long. I'm hoping that we are far enough north that the overnight temps will still be pretty cool......otherwise it will be the motel option.

Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 11 May 2021 at 11:49am

Not last long is right, maybe 40 lbs of ice to give 9000 btu of cooling, roughly an hours worth. And the air coming off it would be very damp.

I agree with you, hotel if it's really hot, not worth being miserable. But the fans blowing on
you will keep you feeling comfortable for about another 10 degrees or so, we use them a lot in the summer.

-------------
1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold

Posted By: pedwards2932
Date Posted: 26 May 2021 at 3:40pm

I checked my Artic Cool individual cooler which is a mini swamp cooler. It is about 95 degrees in camper and when I checked the air coming out of cooler it was about 64 degrees. I think these may help if you blow it directly at you. They run off usb plug so they don't draw much. I got 12" 12 volt fan that looks to be similar to the overhead fan in the bathroom so it puts out plenty of air. Still a little curious about the swamp cooler as I was surprised at how cool the air from the mini swamp cooler was....I may take another look at the Hessaire

Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 27 May 2021 at 7:50am

Don't be fooled. We're not in the high humidity part of the year yet.

Check the wet bulb temperature not the dry bulb temperature. A swamp cooler can reduce the temperature to a number around 10 degrees above the the wet bulb temp. It can't cool below that because at that point your air will be at 100% humidity in the trailer and you'd have to condense water out to get it cooler, only an a/c can do that. 100 % humidity will be very uncomfortable when the temp gets up to the high 60s/low 70's.

So if you only want to cool in the spring when the humidity is still low ok but in the summer in the East not so much.

https://sites.google.com/site/hvacsystemvarietyae390/vav---major-system/numeric-parameters - comfort zone

-------------
1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold

Posted By: pedwards2932
Date Posted: 27 May 2021 at 11:59am

We don't plan to use the camper during the summer.....too hot and too many people. We will use it during fall and spring mostly. The personal cooler was definitely working but only if you are directly in front of it....didn't mean to imply it was cooling the camper. The Hessaire may work for us during the months we would use it......I am a little concerned with the physical size of it and it may be overkill for the trailer size as it is designed for 500 sq ft.

Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 27 May 2021 at 5:07pm

How about this one? You can use it as a fan if/when the EVAP cooler doesn't work.

%20 - https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/frigidaire-2-in-1-personal-evaporative-cooler-fan-fec180wh00

-------------
1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold

Posted By: pedwards2932
Date Posted: 27 May 2021 at 7:47pm

I bought an Artic Air Tower today at Home Depot. It uses 54 watts on max and says it does 100 sq ft. I will say when it was really hot today it couldn't do much 92 degrees going in 86 coming out. At the end of the day it was working pretty decent 81 degrees going in 74 coming out. It is an oscillating tower fan so it will work as a fan. I am going to try it on the trip and we will see how it goes....I think it will work to keep the temp down while sleeping.

Posted By: pedwards2932
Date Posted: 15 Jun 2021 at 2:33pm

Well the Artic Air Tower was pretty useless.....the 12 volt fan I bought is really nice though.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06Y196VR8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - Amazon.com: Quick Products QP-TE1-0126 Boundless Breeze Ultimate RV/Marine Fan - 12 Volt: Automotive

Luckily on the Maine trip night time temps during boondockin were cool. It did get to 94 in Maine but we were connected so the AC worked great.